GROUNDBREAKING Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

groundbreaking

adjective

Definition of groundbreaking

as in innovative

introducing new ideas or methods She was honored for her groundbreaking work in nuclear physics. a groundbreaking new book

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of groundbreaking Once operational, the groundbreaking facility will establish Hyundai Steel’s first steel production base in North America. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026 Ultimately, Engelbert oversaw the ratification of a historic CBA, leading to player salaries that surpassed $1 million for the first time, and a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that ties players’ salaries to revenue in a meaningful way. — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 With its coronagraph and WFI, the telescope is designed to make groundbreaking strides in the fields of dark matter and dark energy, exoplanet discoveries, and will be capable of capturing views 100 times wider than those of its Hubble predecessor. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a groundbreaking pancreatic cancer drug that experts predict will transform treatment for the notoriously deadly disease. — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for groundbreaking

Recent Examples of Synonyms for groundbreaking

Adjective

During a half-hour speech, von Furstenberg reflected on major career milestones, like her first meeting with Diana Vreeland in 1970 and later being featured on the March 1976 cover of Newsweek in her innovative wrap dress.

— Ariel Bielsky, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
The radio series takes in interviews with academic hormone specialists, including the team at Imperial College in London who are conducting some of the most exciting and innovative research in this area.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of innovative

Adjective

The factor that seems to unite everyone is a sense of repetition—no matter the style, writers will play the same songs over and over again to reach a kind of creative trance.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Those of us in the creative world have to embrace all the ups and downs, and the rights and the wrongs.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of creative

Adjective

Don’t miss the 153-year-old Point Arena Lighthouse, where a climb up the 115-foot tower yields birds-eye views and the Signal Museum houses the original Fresnel lens.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Not every case deserves that kind of last-minute intervention, but in Duckett’s case nearly every shred of evidence presented at his original trial has been disproven or debunked.

— Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of original

Adjective

Chef Williams Saurina adds his own touches, with novel spins on ceviche, zesty salsas flecked with pumpkin seeds, and aromatic Tikin Xic (sea bass with recado rojo, made from local achiote, wrapped in totomoxtle leaf).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Making collaboration count That same logic is also driving interest in sourcing pools—by no means a novel concept but one that has been discussed more in the abstract than put into practice.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of novel

Adjective

More Life Kit on home organization 5 clever design tricks to make a small home look bigger.

— Andee Tagle, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
Airbnb’s story began back in 2007 with three air mattresses in a San Francisco living room—prompting then-roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia to conceive clever ways to make rent.

— Kelsey Stewart, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of clever

Adjective

Memories are fresh of the nationwide protests sparked by economic pressures that led to a deadly crackdown weeks before the war.

— Amir-Hussein Radjy, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Most of the candy is in spotless Plexiglas bins, hundreds of them, and throughout the shop are fresh confections such as ice cream, sodas, a chocolate fountain.

— Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of fresh

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“Groundbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groundbreaking. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of groundbreaking

adjective

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